What to Expect on EV Charger Installation Day in the GTA

You've gotten your quote, chosen your charger, and booked the installation. Now what?

Installation day is usually the smoothest part of the whole process. Here's what to expect, from the moment our van pulls up to the moment you plug in for the first time.

Before We Arrive

A few things to do the morning of your installation:

Clear access to your electrical panel. If your panel is behind a shelf in the utility room, move the shelf. We need to work in there and it saves time.

Clear the garage. We'll be running cable through or along the garage wall and need a clear path. You don't need to empty the whole garage — just the area near where the charger will go and along the cable route.

Know where you want the charger. We'll confirm exact placement with you when we arrive, but having a preference in mind speeds things up. Most people want it at shoulder height near the front of the car, on the wall closest to the panel.

Have the charger hardware ready if you purchased it separately. If we're supplying it, ignore this.

The Installation Timeline

First 15 Minutes: Assessment and Layout

Our electrician will walk through the job with you — confirming charger placement, checking the panel one more time, and planning the cable route. If anything has changed since the quote (e.g., you moved the panel, added other loads), we'll flag it now.

30–90 Minutes: Running the Circuit

The bulk of the work is running a new 240V circuit from your electrical panel to the charger location. This involves:

Opening the panel and identifying the right breaker slot
Routing cable through the wall, basement, or conduit along the garage ceiling/wall
Mounting the charger unit and making the connections

For a standard attached garage with a reasonable cable run, this takes 45–60 minutes. Longer runs, conduit work, or tricky panel access can push this to 90 minutes.

15–30 Minutes: Connections and Testing

With the cable run complete, the electrician makes all connections — both at the panel and at the charger — installs the breaker, and powers everything up.

We test the charger before calling it done: confirming correct voltage, polarity, and ground, and doing a test charge cycle with your vehicle if you're home.

Final Walkthrough

We'll show you:

How to use the charger (cable management, button functions, app setup if applicable)
The charging schedule settings (we recommend setting it to charge after 11pm for off-peak rates)
The ESA permit sticker location (it goes on or near the panel)

Total time on-site: 2–3 hours for a standard installation.

The ESA Permit & Inspection

Every 240V EV charger installation in Ontario requires an ESA (Electrical Safety Authority) permit. We pull this permit before your installation date — it's part of your quote.

After we complete the work, an ESA inspector visits your home to verify the installation meets Ontario Electrical Safety Code. This is a separate appointment that happens 3–10 business days after installation (we schedule it for you).

What the inspector checks:

Proper wire gauge for the circuit amperage
Correct breaker size and type
Proper grounding and bonding
Charger mounting and strain relief
Weatherproofing if the charger is in a semi-exposed location

The inspection takes 15–20 minutes. Someone needs to be home to provide access. 99% of our installations pass first time.

What You Don't Need to Do

You don't need to be hands-on. We handle everything. Being home is helpful for the walkthrough but you can be inside while work happens.
You don't need to coordinate with your utility. For standard installations, nothing changes with your Hydro account. (Panel upgrades that require a service upgrade are different — we handle that coordination.)
You don't need to submit rebate paperwork. We do that as part of the job.

After Installation

Your charger is ready to use immediately after installation. A few tips for the first week:

Do a full charge cycle (plug in at 20%, charge to 80%) to confirm everything is working as expected
Set your charging schedule if you have a smart charger — overnight off-peak charging saves on Hydro bills
Download the charger app and connect it to your home WiFi for scheduling and energy monitoring
Keep the cable tidy — most chargers have a holster bracket for the cable when not in use

Questions after install? We're a phone call away at (647) 694-6394.